Refrigerator



Oct. l, 1946.

H. E. RosEBRoYoK ET'AL 2,408,582

REFRIGERATOR f Filed Nov. 5, 1942 z'sheets-sheet 2l Patented Oct. 1,1946 REFRIGERATQR;

Homer Rosebrook andA Herschel, Powell,4

Grreenville, Mich., assignoisbymesne assign-j ments,Y to, GibsonRefrigerator Company, Greenville, Mich., a corporation of MichiganyApplication November 5, 1942,ser`i1'N0.,4e4,6o8

1o'oiaims'. (c1. '62;103)

This invention relates particularly to the provision of separatefreezingand chilling and cooling compartments within the storage chamber.

As is well known, different temperature and humidity conditions arerequired for the proper preservation of the Various foodstuffs and otherarticles commonly placed in a refrigerator by the user thereof; Forexample, a freezing tempera- Y to refrigerators and more rangementwhereby such different conditions can begreadilygobtainedby the use of asingle evaporating unit. This objectV is attained by dividing the'interior of the storagechamber into a plugl rality of compartments,disposing lthe refrigerant evaporating unit in one of the compartments,and

e providing for a limited circulation of air between the severalcompartments;-

vMore specifically, the principal object of the invention is attained byproviding a vertical shield to'close a portion of the door opening,arranging substantially imperforate. partitions behind the shield toform a pair of spaced compartments, and placing the refrigerant:evaporating unitvin the upperof said compartments. The Vertical shieldserves to prevent the loss of cold airmfro'm these compartments whenMVthe `refrigerator door is opened and aids in controlling and directingthe now of air within the storage chamber between andY among the severalcompartments. It also enhances the appearanceof the refrigerator. Byproviding separate doors in the vertical shield which afford access toeach of. 1

the compartments therebehind independently of the other, a more ecientand uniform refrig- Aerating effect is obtained in each of thesecompartments. Y l Y Other objects'and advantages of the inven-v tionwill become apparent from the following description when read inconnection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

, Figure 1 is a front view of a refrigerator with the 'storage chamberdoor removed to show the interior of the storage chamber;

` Figure 2 is a vertical section of the refrigerator shown in Figure 1,taken on substantially the line`2 2 thereof; ,l Y Y Figure `3 is anenlarged sectional view taken on the-line 3-3 of Figure 1.;

Figure 4 isvan enlarged sectional View taken on the line 4.--4 of Figure1; and l Figure 5 isl .anl enlarged sectional view taken onthe line5-5of Figure 1. Y

The refrigerator shownin the accompanying drawings includes 'an innershell or liner I0 which'denes a storage chamber, an outer shell I Isurrounding the inner shell in spaced relation, insulation I 2 betweenthe two shells, and a breaker strip I3 which spans the space between thefree edges of the shells and defines a door opening for the storagechamber. An insulated door i4 .for closingthe door opening is secured tothe refrigerator in the V usual manner. As best shown in Figures, 4and5, the breaker strip I3 overli'es4 and is secured to the edgeportionslpf v,tneinner and outer shells by screws I5..`,A-verticalshield lIii is Vdisposed within the -storagechamberfand soarrangedras to vclose the upperlportionofrxthe door opening. The shieldis of'gnerally pan shape including'a flange II across its top, which isreceived between the breaker'strip ,ISand the inner shell I0 and issecured in position xby. the screws I.5 (see Figure 5). AlongfitsyVertical edges the Vshield is provided with llanges'fl whichwfare'received between the edge of breaker strip' I3 and theinner shell I0(see Figurelj."V Acrossv its .bottom edge' the shield is provided`withay generally kU #shaped irib I 9 which lseI'-v.es v to strengthenthe shield in that region. Thus,`fit will'belseen that While the shield,only covers the upper"part of the door opening to the storage chamber,itI does completely cover that part', extending to andbeing supported bythe walls which define the upper part of the door Way. A

' ASI` previously mentioned, the shield I 6 is of generallylpan shape,the vvcentral portion being disposed'reai'wardly of the perimeter.Substantially midway between its upper and lower extrerniti'es theshield is provided with an outwardly projecting horizontally extendingU-shaped rib 2lb-generally similar tothe rib I9, at the bottom oftheshield. Above the rib 2l)A and in 'spaced relationto the edges of .theshield there ,ispprovi'o`ledfaA horizontally elongated opening injtheshield which is' defined by arrearwardly extending angeZI. 4 Betweenribsy I9'and20 andin'spaced relation to the sides of the shield there isprovided another horizontally elongated opening in the shield which isdefined by the inwardly extending flange 22.

The upper opening in the shield I6 is closed by a door 23, and the loweropening vis closed by a door 24. Preferably the doors are formed ofglass or other transparent material and supported by channel shapedframes and 26. The frames are connected to the shield IS by hinges asshown whereby the doors may be swung outwardly about a pivot line alongthe bottom edge thereof (see Figure 3). Adjacent their upper edges thedoors are provided with handles 21 and 28 respectively. The shield I@together with the doors 23 and 24 form a substantially imperforatevertically extending partition across the upper part of the door openingwhich serves as an auxiliary closure for that part of the opening.

Behind the shield I6 and in the uppermost part of the storage chamberthere is located a refrigerant evaporating unit comprising a generallytubular shell 2.9 and an evaporator coil 3U secured to the outside ofthe shell. The evaporating unit is secured in place in a conventionalmanner by hangers extending downwardly from the top of the liner IU. Theevaporating unit is substantially coextensive with the horizontalcross-section of the storage chamber and is so arranged that the frontand open end of shell 29 is aligned with the opening in the shield I6which is closed by door 23. Thus, access may be had to the interior ofshell 29 for the installation and removal of freezing trays orsubstances to be frozen. Liquid refrigerant is supplied to theevaporator coil 3 0 by a capillary tube 3| and gaseous refrigerant iswithdrawn from the evaporator coil through a suction line 32 in aconventional manner by a condensing unit, not shown.

Below the evaporator and in closely spaced relation thereto 4,is a drippan 33 in the form of a substantially imperforate partition. Pan 33 hasupturnedflanges about its perimeter and is of a horizontal extentsufficient to collect moisture which Ydrips from the evaporator duringdefrosting. Thus, the rpan 33 is also substantially coextensivehorizontally with the cross-section of the storage chamber.

.Pan 33 `is supported at the frontby connection with the evaporator andat the rear by a support secured to the. liner. The pan is preferablyinclined downwardly from the front to the rear and is provided with asmall opening (not shown) at the lowest point to drain off the moisturecollected therein into any suitable receptacle. This inclination alsoserves to promote the circulation of air along a predetermined pathway.`Provision is made for the limited circulation of ,air lbetween thespace above and below the pan 33 by the slight spacing of the yedges ofthe pan from the liner walls. In order to increase the Ycirculation ofair between these two spaces it may also be desirable to provide the pan33 with `an opening 33a toward the front thereof. The opening 33a issurrounded'byan upstanding flange to prevent the moisture .collected inthe pan from dropping through this opening, Also, the pan is preferablyprovided with an upstanding baille 331) over the opening to prevent themoisture .which drips `from the evaporator during defrosting `fromfalling through the opening.

Positioned below the drip vpan 33 is a horizontally extendingirnperforate shelf in the form of a .partition '34 which issupportedfrom the liner bv the usual shelf supports. Partition 34 is 0f ahorizontal extent to locate the perimeter thereof in closely spacedrelation to the side walls of the storage compartment and the shield I6to provide for but a limited circulation of air between the 5 spaceabove and below this partition. The space between the rear edge of theshelf and the adjacent liner wall being greater than the space betweenthe other edges. of the shelf and the adjacent vertical walls to aid indirecting the circulation of air between the spaces above and below theshelf. While some moisture may collect on the under surface of pan 33,such will not be the case with `shelf 34.

' Partition 34 forms with the liner I0, the partition 33 and the shieldI3 a chilling compartment immediately below the freezing compartment towhich access is had through door 24. The remainder of the storagechamber below the partition 34 constitutes a cooling compartment, and isprovided with conventional shelves formed to provide for circulation ofair between the lseveral spaces defined thereby. Access is had to thecooling compartment by opening the main refrigerator door I4.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the singleevaporator will maintain the freezing chest itself at a lowertemperature than the remainder of the storage chamber; that he chillcompartment (the space between pan 33 and shelf 34) by reason of itsclose proximity to the evaporator and the limited circulation of airbetween that space and the space occupied by the evaporator, will bemaintained at a temperature only slightly above freezing; and that thefood storage or cooling space below the shelf 34 will be maintained atatemperature somewhat higher than that of the remainder of the storagechamber by reason of the fact that the circulation of air between thespace above and below the shelf is restricted. Furthermore, it will beapparent that by reason of the different temperatures prevailing in thedifferent spaces the relative humidity in the chilling compartment (thespace between shelf 34 and pan 33) will be relat-iveiy higher than thehumidity in the cooling or storage `compartment comprising the spacebelow partition 34. Thus, merelyby the use of -a novel arrangement ofpartitions and baffles it is possible to obtain different temperatureand different humidity conditions within separate zones of arefrigerator storage compartment by means of a single refrigerantevaporator located in but one of said zones.

The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims. y

We claim:

1. Avmechanical refrigeratorcomprising a storage chamber, a `refrigerantevaporator disposed in the chamber, a drip pan disposed below and inclosely spaced relation to the evaporator lfor collecting the drip fromthe evaporator, a substantially imperforate food storage shelfpositioned below vand in spaced relation to the drip pan, said pan andsaid shelf being constructed and arranged in relation to the storagechamber to pro- Vide ypassageways adjacent the perimeters thereof for alimited circulation `of Vair between the spaces thereabove andtherebelow, the cross .fseetional area of the passageway for thecirculation of air adjacent one portion of the perimeter of the ,shelfbeing larger than the cross sectional area of the passageway adjacentthe vcorresponding portion of the perimeter o f the drippan, and thecross sectional area of the lpassageway adjacent another and remoteportion of the perimeter of the shelf being smaller than the crosssectional area of the passageway adjacentthe corresponding portion ofthe perimeter of the drip pan.

2. A mechanical refrigerator as defined in claim 1 wherein the storagechamber is provided with an access opening and wherein means areprovided closely adjacent the edge of the shelf nearest the accessopening for restricting the circulation of air between the accessopening and the space above the shelf.

3. A mechanical refrigerator as defined in claim 1 wherein said storagechamber is provided with an access opening, a door for closing theaccess opening, and means in addition to the door and located closelyadjacent the edge of the shelf nearest the access opening forrestricting circulation of air between the access opening and the spaceabove the shelf.

4. A mechanical refrigerator' as defined in claim l wherein the storagechamber is provided with an access opening, a door for the accessopening, and a shield interposed between the access opening vand thespace above the shelf arranged closely adjacent the edge of the shelfnearest the access opening to cooperate with the shelf to restrictcirculation of air between the spaces above and below the shelf adjacentthe access opening.

5. A mechanical refrigerator comprising a storage chamber having anaccess opening, a refrig- V age chamber to provide for limitedcirculation of erant evaporator disposed in the upper part of thestorage chamber, a drip pan disposed below and in closely spacedrelation to the evaporator, Y

said drip pan being constructed and arranged in relation to the storagechamber to provide for a limited circulation of air between the spacesthereabove and therebelow, a substantially imperforate food storageshelf positionedbelow and in spaced relation to the drip pan, said shelfbeing constructed and arranged in relation to the storage chamber toprovide for limited circulation of air between the spaces thereabove andtherebelow, and vertically arranged means interposed between the accessopening and said drip pan and said shelf to cooperate therewith torestrict the circulation of air between the access opening and the spaceabove the shelf and between the spaces above and below theshelf in thezone adjacent the access opening.

6. A mechanical refrigerator as deiined in claim 5 wherein said meansinterposed between the access opening and the drip pan and the shelfcomprises a shield which-is itself provided with movable portionsaffording access to the space above the drip pan and to the spacebetween the drip pan and the shelf, respectively.

7. A mechanical refrigerator as defined in claim 5 wherein the drip panis provided with an opening adjacent one edge thereof for thecirculation of air between the spaces thereabove and therebelow whichopening is surrounded by a Y flange of lesser height than the sides ofthe pan.

air between the spaces thereabove and therebelow, a substantiallyimperforate food storage shelf positioned below and in spaced relationto the drip pan, said shelf being constructed and arranged in relationto the storage chamber to provvide for a limited circulation of airbetween the spaces thereabove and therebelow, and vertically arrangedshield means `interposed between the access opening and the space abovethe food storage shelf to restrict circulation of air between the accessopening and said space and between the spaces above and below theshelfin the zone adjacent the access opening, said drip pan beingconstructed and arranged to collect drip from the evaporator and fromthe upper portion of said shield means.

9. A mechanical refrigerator comprising a storage chamber divided intoan upper compartment, an intermediate compartment, and a lowercompartment by a pair of vertically spaced substantially imperforatepartitions intermediate the top and bottom of the chamber, saidpartitions forming the top and bottom walls of the intermediatecompartment, an evaporator in the upper compartment, said intermediatecompartment having an aperture in the top adjacent a horizontalextremity thereof and within the vertical projection of the evaporatorfor the passage of air from the upper compartment to the intermediatecompartment, said compartment having another aperture at the perimeterthereof remote from said first mentioned aperture for the passage of airfrom the intermediate compartment yto the lower compartment.

10. A mechanical refrigerator comprising a chamber, an evaporatordisposed in said chamber, a drip pan disposed below and in spacedrelation to the evaporator and arranged to collect the drip therefrom,and an imperforate shelf disposed below the drip pan and in spacedrelation thereto, said shelf and said drip pan being substantiallycoextensive horizontally with the chamber, said drip pan beingconstructed and arranged in relation to the chamber walls and theVevaporator to provide an air passageway adjacent one edge thereofsubstantially within the vertical projection of the shelf, said shelfbeing constructed and arranged to .provide an air passageway adjacentone edge thereof located at least partially within the verticalprojection on said drip pan, whereby to permit the circulation of airhorizontally through the space between the Vshelf and the drip pan.

HOMER E. ROSEBROOK. HERSCI-IEL F. POWELL.

